Change in Measured GFR Versus eGFR and CKD Outcomes.

Measured GFR (mGFR) has long been considered the gold standard measure of kidney function, but recent studies have shown that mGFR is not consistently superior to eGFR in explaining CKD-related comorbidities. The associations between longitudinal changes in mGFR versus eGFR and adverse outcomes have not been examined. We analyzed a subset of 942 participants with CKD in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study who had at least two mGFRs and two eGFRs determined concurrently by iothalamate and creatinine (eGFRcr) or cystatin C, respectively.

Outcomes for Organ-Preserving Surgery for Penile Cancer.

Aim: Squamous cell carcinoma of the penis (PC) has traditionally been treated with partial penectomy with a 2-cm margin. More conservative resection margins have been reported to have no effect on oncologic control, but there is no consensus in the literature regarding functional outcomes after organ-preserving surgery for PC.

Methods: Six patients meeting inclusion criteria were retrospectively identified to have received organ-sparing surgery for PC at the Cleveland Clinic from 2003 to 2012.

Reduced Gray Matter Volume Is Associated With Poorer Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Performance in Heart Failure.

Background: Heart failure patients require assistance with instrumental activities of daily living in part because of the high rates of cognitive impairment in this population. Structural brain insult (eg, reduced gray matter volume) is theorized to underlie cognitive dysfunction in heart failure, although no study has examined the association among gray matter, cognition, and instrumental activities of daily living in heart failure.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations among gray matter volume, cognitive function, and functional ability in heart failure.

Deep brain stimulation: new directions.

The role of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of movement disorders is well established, but there has recently been a proliferation of additional indications that have been shown to be amenable to this technology. The combination of innovative approaches to neural interface technology with novel target identification based on previously discovered clinical effects of lesioning procedures has led to a fundamental paradigm for new directions in the application of DBS. The historical use of neurosurgical lesioning procedures in the treatment of psychiatric diseases such as obsessive compulsive disorder provided an initial opportunity to expand the use of DBS.

Sox2 acts as a rheostat of epithelial to mesenchymal transition during neural crest development.

Precise control of self-renewal and differentiation of progenitor cells into the cranial neural crest (CNC) pool ensures proper head development, guided by signaling pathways such as BMPs, FGFs, Shh and Notch. Here, we show that murine Sox2 plays an essential role in controlling progenitor cell behavior during craniofacial development. A "Conditional by Inversion" Sox2 allele (Sox2(COIN) ) has been employed to generate an epiblast ablation of Sox2 function (Sox2(EpINV) ).

Clinical oncologic applications of PET/MRI: a new horizon.

Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) leverages the high soft-tissue contrast and the functional sequences of MR with the molecular information of PET in one single, hybrid imaging technology. This technology, which was recently introduced into the clinical arena in a few medical centers worldwide, provides information about tumor biology and microenvironment. Studies on indirect PET/MRI (use of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) images software fused with MRI images) have already generated interesting preliminary data to pave the ground for potential applications of PET/MRI.

Hybrid PET/MR imaging in two sarcoma patients - clinical benefits and implications for future trials.

PET/MRI is an evolving hybrid imaging modality which combines the inherent strengths of MRIs soft-tissue and contrast resolution and PETs functional metabolic capabilities. Bone and soft-tissue sarcoma are a relatively rare tumor entity, relying on MRI for local staging and often on PET/CT for lymph node involvement and metastatic spread evaluation. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the successful use of PET/MRI in two sarcoma patients.

Psoriasis and cardiovascular risk factors: increased serum myeloperoxidase and corresponding immunocellular overexpression by Cd11b(+) CD68(+) macrophages in skin lesions.

Background: Recent studies report independent associations between psoriasis, cardiovascular (CV) events and risk factors. Blood Myeloperoxidase (MPO) from activated myeloid cells is associated with CV risk mainly through lipid oxidation, induction of endothelial dysfunction and release of IL-12 from macrophages.

Objectives: To elucidate associations between psoriasis and conventional CV risk factors.

Satisfying sexual events as outcome measures in clinical trial of female sexual dysfunction.

Introduction: Assessing the sexual response in women with female sexual dysfunctions (FSDs) in clinical trials remains difficult. Part of the challenge is the development of meaningful and valid end points that capture the complexity of women's sexual response.

Aim: The purpose of this review is to highlight the shortcomings of daily diaries and the limitations of satisfying sexual events (SSEs) as primary end points in clinical trials of women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in their draft guidance on standards for clinical trials in women with FSD.

Preliminary clinical and pharmacologic investigation of photodynamic therapy with the silicon phthalocyanine photosensitizer pc 4 for primary or metastatic cutaneous cancers.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cutaneous malignancies has been found to be an effective treatment with a range of photosensitizers. The phthalocyanine Pc 4 was developed initially for PDT of primary or metastatic cancers in the skin. A Phase I trial was initiated to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic profiles of systemically administered Pc 4 followed by red light (Pc 4-PDT) in cutaneous malignancies.

The disturbance of gaze in progressive supranuclear palsy: implications for pathogenesis.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a disease of later life that is currently regarded as a form of neurodegenerative tauopathy. Disturbance of gaze is a cardinal clinical feature of PSP that often helps clinicians to establish the diagnosis. Since the neurobiology of gaze control is now well understood, it is possible to use eye movements as investigational tools to understand aspects of the pathogenesis of PSP.

Diagnosis of malignant granular cell tumor metastatic to bone by fine needle aspiration cytology: a case report.

Background: Malignant granular cell tumor (GCT) is a rare sarcoma that is often difficult to differentiate histologically from its benign counterpart.

Case: A 69-year-old Caucasian man with a long history of multiple GCTs presented with new-onset left shoulder pain and limitation of movement. Radiographic studies revealed a lytic lesion within the left humeral metaphysis and a pathologic fracture.

Topical application of green and white tea extracts provides protection from solar-simulated ultraviolet light in human skin.

Background: Tea polyphenols have been found to exert beneficial effects on the skin via their antioxidant properties.

Aims: We sought to determine whether topical application of green tea or white tea extracts would prevent simulated solar radiation-induced oxidative damages to DNA and Langerhans cells that may lead to immune suppression and carcinogenesis.

Methods: Skin samples were analysed from volunteers or skin explants treated with white tea or green tea after UV irradiation.